PNW Summer Gear

[Tom Gibson]

I haven’t been backpacking in wayyy too long, but I’ve been invited on a 3-nighter this summer. We’ll be on the east side of Mt. Hood, though I’ve been told that we’ll not get above 5K feet. I have not yet seen a map of the area.

While not exactly UL, here’s what I’ve got:

Dana Design Hyalite (circa 1991). 84oz.
Lafuma 800 extreme +40F sleeping bag w/3rd party stuff sack. 32oz
TNF Tadpole (1992) w/footprint. about 80oz.w/footprint.
Penny Stove – well under 16oz. w/fuel.
Therm-A-Rest UL Long (circa 1990). Uncertain about weight, nice & small when compressed.
Sweetwater filter w/viralguard (again uncertain about exact wt., definitely less than 1lb.)

I’ve got or will have the usual BP suspects: compass, map (or photocopy), matches & lighter, space blanket, first aid w/ace bandage, garbage bag poncho, Gerber multi-tool, microfiber towel and the all-important TP.

I need a pot/mess kit of some sort and I’ve been considering the clikstand for my Penny Stove (though I already have some aluminum flashing and could easily fashion my own windscreen.

I plan on using a wide-mouth 1l bottle for water–I think I like the Canada Dry bottle with the ‘spiral’ top. It seems very strong.

I’m hoping to keep my pre-food weight under 20 pounds, including clothing (fresh panties, socks and T every day and perhaps a pair of light pants in the pack)

I don’t expect any temps below +40F and rain would be unlikely.

Any advice you might offer would be appreciated, though I’m unlikely to spend much money on a new pack or tent and probably unwilling to switch to a tarp–though I’d consider the Tadpole fly/footprint configuration.

Happy trails!
Tom

[Dale Wambaugh]

“I need a pot/mess kit of some sort…”

The Snowpeak titanium bowls are nice and not terribly expensive– $12. A simple plastic bowl is $2. Check Snowpeak and MSR for Ti boiler pots.

The hard anodized aluminum pots are nearly as light and a very good buy. The GSI kit at REI is $25 and 11oz if you take it all (search item 708983). You can minimze the kit by taking just the big pot and go further by using foil for a lid.

The REI insulated mug is $4 and 4.9oz. You can get a GSI plastic mug for $3 and it is 2.5oz. Lexan sporks are cheap and easy.

[Douglas Frick]

> We’ll be on the east side of Mt. Hood…and rain would be unlikely.

Ha.

> Dana Design Hyalite (circa 1991). 84oz.

You could save three pounds here without losing any comfort, but I’m not one to talk–my Dana weighs 2.5 pounds more than yours.

>I need a pot/mess kit of some sort

Take a look at Antigravity Gear’s hard-anodized pots. (There’s a lot of other good stuff there.) All you need is one pot and a spork or spoon, regardless of whether you’re cooking or just boiling water.
http://www.antigravitygear.com/store/index.php?cPath=3_11
If you want an in-between-sized pot and are just boiling water, consider the Mirro 1L grease pot, available at Walmart for $6. (I don’t recommend it for cooking food because the lip curls inward, but this won’t matter for a short trip.)

> I already have some aluminum flashing and could easily fashion my own windscreen.

Most flashing is a bit on the heavy side. Pick up an EZ-Foil oven liner (2 for $4) and make your own, or an MSR-like windscreen at Antigravity Gear for $5.

> fresh panties, socks and T every day

That’s about 3 pounds. You could cut that weight in half by bringing one change of each and washing on alternate days or just getting a bit smelly.

[Tom Gibson]

>> We’ll be on the east side of Mt. Hood…and rain would be unlikely.

> Ha.

This will be from 7/28 to 8/3 (longer than I initially thought) but definitely not the rainy season.

>> Dana Design Hyalite (circa 1991). 84oz.

> You could save three pounds here without losing any comfort, but I’m not one to talk–my Dana weighs 2.5 pounds more than yours.

Back in the day, I had this massive Jansport frame pack. After one trip with a ridiculous load, I decided I wanted the smallest pack I could get and still get along. The Hyalite was the smallest Dana model with the flat Aluminum center stay, carbon fiber outer stays and framesheet. I think I paid like $279 for it, which was a lot at the time. It is very comfortable and I have carried some heavy loads with it on occassion. I’ll be sad when it’s gone.

>> I need a pot/mess kit of some sort

> Take a look at Antigravity Gear’s hard-anodized pots. (There’s a lot of other good stuff there.) All you need is one pot and a spork or spoon, regardless of whether you’re cooking or just boiling water.
http://www.antigravitygear.com/store/index.php?cPath=3_11
If you want an in-between-sized pot and are just boiling water, consider the Mirro 1L grease pot, available at Walmart for $6. (I don’t recommend it for cooking food because the lip curls inward, but this won’t matter for a short trip.)

>> I already have some aluminum flashing and could easily fashion my own windscreen.

> Most flashing is a bit on the heavy side. Pick up an EZ-Foil oven liner (2 for $4) and make your own, or an MSR-like windscreen at Antigravity Gear for $5.

I’ll look into that over liner.

>> fresh panties, socks and T every day

> That’s about 3 pounds. You could cut that weight in half by bringing one change of each and washing on alternate days or just getting a bit smelly.

I might be OK with the smelly T, but the socks and undies are non-negotiable…

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